Board of Directors

Sol Barer, Ph.D.

Dr. Barer is the founder and has been the principal executive of Celgene Corporation, who over the past 25 years, has led Celgene to become the 3rd largest independent biotechnology company in the world with a current market capitalization exceeding $25 billion. Dr. Barer assumed the Presidency of Celgene in 1993. Subsequently, he became CEO in 2006 and Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2007. He assumed the position of Executive Chairman of the Corporation in June 2010 and as of January 2011 he returned to his present role as Chairman of the Board. Dr. Barer brings a wealth of experience regarding product development, scientific and business strategy, manufacturing, marketing and the building of an international company.

Kurt Conti

An entrepreneurial leader in the construction industry, Mr. Conti is the CEO and President of the Conti Group, a nationally recognized general contractor delivering program management, construction services, and engineering across the United States and internationally. Mr. Conti brings more than 25 years of business experience and leadership to Edge Therapeutics. In addition, Mr. Conti is an active corporate citizen and serves on executive boards and advisory committees such as the New York Building Congress, the Salvation Army, The Pingry School, and The Moles.

Brian Leuthner

Brian A. Leuthner, President and CEO of Edge Therapeutics, Inc. has more than 22 years of experience in the hospital acute care marketplace, with a specific expertise in neurocritical care. He has held marketing and sales positions of significant responsibility at GlaxoWellcome, Ortho Biotech, ESP Pharma and The Medicines Company. In these leadership roles, Mr. Leuthner helped create and advance hospital business units, launch innovative new products, and strengthen customer relationships. Mr. Leuthner also served as an industry advisor to the Neurocritical Care Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine and the American College of Chest Physicians. His entrepreneurial experience includes starting Fontus Pharmaceuticals as CEO and prior to that serving as Director of Market Development for start-up ESP Pharma, which sold for $500 million in less than 5 years. Mr. Leuthner received his Bachelors of Science and Masters in Business Administration degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

James J. Loughlin

Mr. Loughlin is an experienced corporate director and currently serves as independent director for Celgene Corporation where he Chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Compensation Committee. He has also served as a member of the Board and lead director of Datascope Corporation. (until January 2009) and the Board of Alfacell Corporation. (until 2008). Mr. Loughlin also has a distinguished 40-year career with KPMG LLP, one of the world’s leading professional accounting and business consulting firms. There he advanced from entry level in 1964 to the highest levels of senior management and governance, including National Director of the Pharmaceuticals Practice and a five-year term as member of the Board of Directors. Additionally, Mr. Loughlin served as Chairman of the Pension and Investment Committee of the KPMG Board from 1995 through 2001.

R Loch Macdonald, MD, PhD

Dr. Macdonald is currently Keenan Endowed Chair, Head, Division of Neurosurgery at St. Michael’s Hospital and Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto. He is a scientist, researcher and neurosurgeon and a recognized expert on brain hemorrhage, including delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). For the past 20 years, his research interest has focused on improving patient outcome after brain hemorrhage, with a specific focus on developing a cure for cerebral vasospasm and DCI. He, along with Dr. Bryce Weir, has authored one of the definitive textbooks on cerebral vasospasm, Cerebral Vasospasm (2001 Academic Press), which is used in medical schools throughout the world. He has published over 400 articles, authored multiple textbooks, and has spoken at many international conferences on the topic of cerebral vasospasm and DCI. Dr. Macdonald’s publications have been sited thousands of times.

Recently Dr. Macdonald was an author of the American Heart / American Stroke Association Guidelines on the management of intracerebral hemorrhage. Dr. Macdonald was also a member of the CONSCIOUS-1, -2 and -3 Steering Committees that were prospective, multi-center, blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trials studying clazosentan in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Prior to becoming Chair at St. Michael’s Hospital, Dr. Macdonald was Professor of Surgery and Radiation & Cellular Oncology at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Macdonald completed medical school at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and completed his Ph.D., (Experimental Surgery), at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, under the guidance of Dr. Bryce Weir. Following his Ph.D. Dr. Macdonald completed his Neurosurgery residency at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.